Types of Grow Lights

There are a variety of grow lights types, each with their own good and bad qualities.  Technology in light bulbs is advancing all the time though, so things are only getting better.  While grow lights used to be a fairly tricky concept with incandescent lightbulbs, they are possible and even perfected with the newer technologies of light bulbs.  Much like halogen, compact fluorescent, and LED bulbs are making their way into our home lighting due to cost and efficiency, they have moved into the grow light arena as well.  This article will compare the various types of grow lights.

LED
LED grow lights are quickly becoming the new standard because of functionality and cost.  Because they produce little heat, they’re very efficient to run and also won’t affect the growth of your plants due to temperature variations.  They provide targeted spectrum wavelengths for maximum effectiveness, but can’t provide a full spectrum like other bulb types.  Perhaps one of the best benefits is their low impact on the environment.  Because they’re made mostly of plastic, they can be discarded in a normal landfill or perhaps even recycled.  Due to their solid longevity, it will be hard to find an LED grow light going into the garbage anyway.

Fluorescent
Fluorescent grow lights were once the ultimate standard in plant growing.  Technology created a wide variety of fluorescents that could be used, but this lighting technology is really becoming outdated as LED advances.  Fluorescent bulbs can each produce a spectrum of light that is determined by production.  This means that you can buy a full spectrum bulb, or specific spectrums for the growing phase that you need to enhance.  The problem with this is that full spectrum lights are much more expensive, but if you buy specific phase spectrum bulbs, you will have to change the bulb for each phase of the plant’s life cycle.  So using fluorescents will either cost more for the best bulb, or cause a lot of extra work as you replace the light for every growing phase.

Incandescent
Incandescent grow lights are really a fictional idea.  Although they may be marketed as full spectrum lighting, they really don’t produce true wavelengths that light sensitive plants need.  Low light or shade plants will still be able to grow, but anything with stricter lighting requirements will not respond well.  In addition, incandescent bulbs are very power inefficient.  They also have a short lifespan.  They will be cheaper up front, but much more expensive when running and will have to be replaced fairly often.

If you are looking to buy a lamp for indoor growing, you probably should be looking at LED or fluorescent lights.  LED will be the best for cost, but depending on your particular situation a fluorescent lamp may be the best option.